Providing transit information

• US 9,194,717 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jouaux, Franois M., Chitta, Rama Krishna
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/501,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20150073702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/414.1, 701/465, 701/408, 701/519
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/005 Data network PoA devices

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for determining transit routes through crowd-sourcing, for determining an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of a vehicle of the transit route at a given location, and for providing predictive reminders to a user for catching a vehicle of the transit route. A server receives signal source information about wireless signal sources detected by user devices, including information about a first wireless signal source detected by some devices. The server determines that the first wireless signal source is moving. The server determines that the first wireless signal source is associated with a public transit route upon determining that the signal source information satisfies one or more selection criteria. The server stores information associating the first wireless signal source with the public transit route as transit movement data corresponding to the public transit route.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server and from a plurality of user devices, signal source information about wireless signal sources detected by the user devices, including information about a first wireless signal source detected by some of the user devices;

determining, by the server, that the first wireless signal source is moving;

determining, by the server, that the first wireless signal source is associated with a first vehicle on a public transit route upon determining that the signal source information received from the plurality of user devices satisfies one or more selection criteria, the one or more selection criteria including;

that a number of user devices observing the first wireless signal source satisfies a threshold number, and

that a motion path reconstructed from locations and times in the signal source information matches a pre-stored path of the public transit route; and

in response to the determining, storing, in a storage device coupled to the server, an identifier of the first wireless signal source, and information associating the first wireless signal source with the public transit route as transit movement data corresponding to the public transit route.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, at the server and from a first user device, a request for an estimated time of arrival (ETA) for a next vehicle of the public transit route at a first location of the first user device;

computing, by the server and based on the transit movement data, an instant location of the first wireless signal source;

upon computing the instant location of the first wireless signal source, determining, by the server, that the first vehicle will be the next vehicle of the public transit route to arrive at the first location;

computing, by the server, the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location based on the instant location of the wireless signal source and motion information of the wireless signal source; and

sending, by the server and to the first user device, the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein computing the ETA for the first vehicle comprises:

computing the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location based on a log of networks and associated locations that provide historical route progression times for the public transit route, wherein the log of networks and associated locations are generated at the server using aggregate information received from the user devices at periodic intervals.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

storing, by the server and in the storage device, a representation of the first vehicle along with information associating the representation of the first vehicle with at least one of the identifier of the first wireless signal source or the public transit route.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first wireless signal source is moving is based on determining that the first wireless signal source is detected by the user devices in more than one location.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

computing, by the server, an instant location of the first wireless signal source based on information about static wireless signal sources included in the signal source information received from the plurality of user devices, wherein locations of the static wireless signal sources are known to the server; and

sending, by the server and to the user devices that detected the first wireless signal source, information about the instant location of the first wireless signal source.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

storing, in the storage coupled to the server, information about the wireless signal sources detected by the user devices, including information identifying the wireless signal sources that are associated with public moving networks; and

sending, by the server and to the user devices, a subset of the information identifying the wireless signal sources that are associated with the public moving networks, wherein the subset includes wireless signal sources that are within a limited area around locations of the user devices.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, at a first user device and from the server, information identifying wireless signal sources that are associated with public moving networks and are within a limited area around an instant location of the first user device, wherein the information includes the first wireless signal source;

caching, by the first user device, the information received from the server;

detecting, by the first user device, the first wireless signal source at multiple locations during displacements of the first user device;

determining, by the first user device and using the information cached by the user device, that the first wireless signal source is associated with a public moving network; and

based on the determining, sending, by the first user device and to the server, information associating the first wireless signal source with the displacements of the first user device.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

receiving, at the server and from the first user device, the information associating the first wireless signal source with the displacements of the first user device;

determining, by the server, a motion path of the first vehicle based on the information associating the first wireless signal source with the displacements of the first user device; and

using, by the server, the motion path of the first vehicle in computing an ETA for the first vehicle at a location on the public transit route.

10. A non-transitory storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a server and from a plurality of user devices, signal source information about wireless signal sources detected by the user devices, including information about a first wireless signal source detected by some of the user devices;

determining, by the server, that the first wireless signal source is moving;

determining, by the server, that the first wireless signal source is associated with a first vehicle on a public transit route upon determining that the signal source information received from the plurality of user devices satisfies one or more selection criteria, the one or more selection criteria including;

that a number of user devices observing the first wireless signal source satisfies a threshold number, and

that a motion path reconstructed from locations and times in the signal source information matches a pre-stored path of the public transit route; and

in response to the determining, storing, in a storage device coupled to the server, an identifier of the first wireless signal source, and information associating the first wireless signal source with the public transit route as transit movement data corresponding to the public transit route.

11. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the server and from a first user device, a request for an estimated time of arrival (ETA) for a next vehicle of the public transit route at a first location of the first user device;

computing, by the server and based on the transit movement data, an instant location of the first wireless signal source;

upon computing the instant location of the first wireless signal source, determining, by the server, that the first vehicle will be the next vehicle of the public transit route to arrive at the first location;

computing, by the server, the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location based on the instant location of the wireless signal source and motion information of the wireless signal source; and

sending, by the server and to the first user device, the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location.

12. The non-transitory storage device of claim 11, wherein computing the ETA for the first vehicle comprises:

computing the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location based on a log of networks and associated locations that provide historical route progression times for the public transit route, wherein the log of networks and associated locations are generated at the server using aggregate information received from the user devices at periodic intervals.

13. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

storing, by the server and in the storage device, a representation of the first vehicle along with information associating the representation of the first vehicle with at least one of the identifier of the first wireless signal source or the public transit route.

14. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein determining that the first wireless signal source is moving is based on determining that the first wireless signal source is detected by the user devices in more than one location.

15. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

computing, by the server, an instant location of the first wireless signal source based on information about static wireless signal sources included in the signal source information received from the plurality of user devices, wherein locations of the static wireless signal sources are known to the server; and

sending, by the server and to the user devices that detected the first wireless signal source, information about the instant location of the first wireless signal source.

16. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

storing, in the storage coupled to the server, information about the wireless signal sources detected by the user devices, including information identifying the wireless signal sources that are associated with public moving networks; and

sending, by the server and to the user devices, a subset of the information identifying the wireless signal sources that are associated with the public moving networks, wherein the subset includes wireless signal sources that are within a limited area around locations of the user devices.

17. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the server and from a first user device, information associating the first wireless signal source with displacements of the first user device, wherein the information is determined by the first user device upon detecting the first wireless signal source at multiple locations during displacements of the first user device, and wherein information identifying the first wireless signal source associated with public moving networks is received at the first user device from the server;

determining, by the server, a motion path of the first vehicle based on the information associating the first wireless signal source with the displacements of the first user device; and

using, by the server, the motion path of the first vehicle in computing an ETA for the first vehicle at a location on the public transit route.

18. A system comprising:

one or more first processors; and

a first storage device storing first instructions that, when executed by the one or more first processors, cause the one or more first processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at a server and from a plurality of user devices, signal source information about wireless signal sources detected by the user devices, including information about a first wireless signal source detected by some of the user devices;

determining, by the server, that the first wireless signal source is moving;

determining, by the server, that the first wireless signal source is associated with a first vehicle on a public transit route upon determining that the signal source information received from the plurality of user devices satisfies one or more selection criteria, the one or more selection criteria including;

that a number of user devices observing the first wireless signal source satisfies a threshold number, and

that a motion path reconstructed from locations and times in the signal source information matches a pre-stored path of the public transit route; and

in response to the determining, storing, in a storage device coupled to the server, an identifier of the first wireless signal source, and information associating the first wireless signal source with the public transit route as transit movement data corresponding to the public transit route.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first instructions cause the one or more first processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the server and from a first user device, a request for an estimated time of arrival (ETA) for a next vehicle of the public transit route at a first location of the first user device;

computing, by the server and based on the transit movement data, an instant location of the first wireless signal source;

upon computing the instant location of the first wireless signal source, determining, by the server, that the first vehicle will be the next vehicle of the public transit route to arrive at the first location;

computing, by the server, the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location based on the instant location of the wireless signal source and motion information of the wireless signal source; and

sending, by the server and to the first user device, the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein computing the ETA for the first vehicle comprises:

computing the ETA for the first vehicle at the first location based on a log of networks and associated locations that provide historical route progression times for the public transit route, wherein the log of networks and associated locations are generated at the server using aggregate information received from the user devices at periodic intervals.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the first instructions cause the one or more first processors to perform operations comprising:

storing, by the server and in the storage device, a representation of the first vehicle along with information associating the representation of the first vehicle with at least one of the identifier of the first wireless signal source or the public transit route.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein determining that the first wireless signal source is moving is based on determining that the first wireless signal source is detected by the user devices in more than one location.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the first instructions cause the one or more first processors to perform operations comprising:

computing, by the server, an instant location of the first wireless signal source based on information about static wireless signal sources included in the signal source information received from the plurality of user devices, wherein locations of the static wireless signal sources are known to the server; and

sending, by the server and to the user devices that detected the first wireless signal source, information about the instant location of the first wireless signal source.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the first instructions cause the one or more first processors to perform operations comprising:

storing, in the storage coupled to the server, information about the wireless signal sources detected by the user devices, including information identifying the wireless signal sources that are associated with public moving networks; and

sending, by the server and to the user devices, a subset of the information identifying the wireless signal sources that are associated with the public moving networks, wherein the subset includes wireless signal sources that are within a limited area around locations of the user devices.

25. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more second processors;

a second storage device storing second instructions that, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the one or more second processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at a first user device and from the server, information identifying wireless signal sources that are associated with public moving networks and are within a limited area around an instant location of the first user device, wherein the information includes the first wireless signal source;

caching, by the first user device, the information received from the server;

detecting, by the first user device, the first wireless signal source at multiple locations during displacements of the first user device;

determining, by the first user device and using the information cached by the user device, that the first wireless signal source is associated with a public moving network; and

based on the determining, sending, by the first user device and to the server, information associating the first wireless signal source with the displacements of the first user device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the first instructions cause the one or more first processors to perform operations further comprising:

receiving, at the server and from the first user device, the information associating the first wireless signal source with the displacements of the first user device;

determining, by the server, a motion path of the first vehicle based on the information associating the first wireless signal source with the displacements of the first user device; and

using, by the server, the motion path of the first vehicle in computing an ETA for the first vehicle at a location on the public transit route.